Flat-knitting machine for knitting goods figured on one side



(Wyn 4 1954 F SEILER 2,691,879

FLAT-KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING GOODS FIGURED ON ONE SIDE Filed April 25. 1949 nwnvroR:

Patented Oct. 19, 1954 FLAT-KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING GOODS FIGURED ON ONE SIDE Fritz Seiler, Auvernier, Switzerland, assignor to Edouard Dubied & Cie. (Socit Anonyme),

N euenburg, Switzerland Application April 25, 1949, Serial No. 89,412

Claims priority, application Switzerland June 3, 1948 4 Claims. (Cl. 66128) My invention relatesto improvements in the method of knitting goods figured or patterned .on one side only by means of a flat-knitting machine having two double thread carriers.

According to my present invention a row of loopsis knitted during one stroke of the carriage with the aid of at least two normal thread carriers, whereby, owing to a corresponding movement of the latter, the threads are successively handledat difierent predetermined operating positions with the aid of one and the same cam box, and the said carriers do not cross each other within the range of the needles.

The special thread carriers conventionally used for said purpose of operation, which are either rotatable or axially displaceable and thus are moved as required through special auxiliary parts, thus are eliminated. The said special thread carriers are expensive and unreliably operating means which moreover entail limitations with respect to the range of possible patterns and the output of the machine.

The main object of my invention is to produce any pattern in a simple and reliable manner.

For carrying out the method disclosed by my present invention, a flat-knitting machine comprising normal thread carriers is used to special advantage, and which also forms part of my present invention. The said thread carriers during a stroke of the carriage are moved in the knitting zone through main drivers provided on a cam box, and in the non-knitting zone through auxiliary drivers coacting with the main drivers boxes and four thread carriers,

Fig. 3 is a partial top view for explaining the operation during the left-to-right stroke of the slide, the rear left cam box as well as the thread carrier marked with across serving to knit the left pattern area C.

Fig. 4 is an analogous showing of the rear left and right cam box as well as the two thread guides, each marked with a cross, which serve to knit the middle pattern area D.

Fig. 5 is an analogous showing of the rear left cam box as well as the thread guide marked with a cross which serve to knit the right pattern area 6 shows, onan enlarged scale, adriver for 2 the right cam with the appropriate thread carrier connected so as to move the latter over the operating station. It also shows an auxiliary driver with the appropriate thread carrier connected so as to move the latter to the knitting zone.

Fig. 7 shows a driver for the, left cam sliding over a guide member for the purpose of disconnecting the auxiliary driver from the associated thread guide as soon as the latter reaches the knitting zone.

Fig. 8 shows a driver for the left cam and thread carrier that has been moved by the auxiliary driver to the knitting zone and connected for the purpose of moving said driver over the knitting zone.

Fig. 9 shows on enlarged scale a cross section taken on line IX--IX of Fig. 7.

The knitted piece shown in Fig. 1, comprising a normal 2:2 border or selvage, represents a plain looped fabric in the range of zone A, and a oneface figured fabric in the adjoining zone B on which three plots may be distinguished.

Such knitted piece advantageously is made by means of the fiat-knitting machine to be presently described.

In Fig.9, four thread carriers I-4 (of a type known per se) are shown in their initial position, i. e. their arrangement, as well as thatof narrowing shoes 5 and stops 6 corresponds to the piece to be knitted. The feeders I A" of the four thread carriers l-4 are connected, in a manner known per se, to a box (thread carrier box) I or 2', 3', 4' through an arm by means of which the respective thread carrier is slidably mounted on a straight flat bar is or 28, respectively, and secured thereon against tilting. The feeders of the four thread carriers l-4 are situated, as shown in Fig. 2, in the longitudinal median plane of the track of the conventional carriage (not shown), but are shown staggered relatively to each other in Fig. 3 in order to elucidate the manner of operation of the thread carriers.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 9, two thread-carrier boxes each, viz. I, 3' and 2, 4' are displaceably disposed on the opposite flat sides of one and the same guide bar ill or 2i On the latter are secured the said narrowing shoes 5 (known per se in the art), which serve for limiting the stroke of the thread carriers, and the stops 5 which are provided with an inclined plane at each end. The said stops 6 are situated, in the sense of Fig. 9, in the median plane of the respective guide bar It or 2!], while the said shoes 5 are disposed on the left and right side of said bars respectively.

As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, stops 6 are provided at the points of transition between the pattern plots 0, D and D, E.

Main drivers for the thread carriers or, respectively, the boxes thereof, are disposed on plates I and 8 of the forward and rearward double cam box, which drivers are disposed pairwise in succession transversely of the respective cam box plate. The two driver pairs 9, 9 and III, III are disposed on the forward plate I, and the two driver pairs H, II and I2, I2 on the rearward plate 8. These main drivers (which are known per se) individually are longitudinally displaceable in known manner in a casing and against spring action. The two drivers I and I2 differ from the conventional design in that they comprise a wider feeler end. An auxiliary driver I3 or I4 is associated with each of the drivers I0 and I2, also being longitudinally displaceable individually in the respective casing (in Fig. 2, the auxiliary drivers I3 and I4 have been omitted; in Figs. 3 to 8, the drivers acting in the assumed operating example are shown). As shown in Fig. 9, the driver 9' is situated in the plane of a narrowing shoe 5 which is disposed on the left side with respect to the guide bar I9, whereas the driver II] and the auxiliary driver I3 are disposed in the plane of a narrowing shoe 5 which is disposed on the right side with respect to said guide bar I9, and the driver I0 through its wide feeler end yet projects into the plane of stop 3 which is mounted on guide bar I9.

The auxiliary drivers I3 and I4 are coupled to their'appurtenant drivers I3 and I2 through a bar I5 or I6 each. In Figs. 3 to 5, numeral I8 indicates a row of needles which are disposed as shown in Fig. 2, in a needle bed I8 and opposite to a row of needles I'I arranged in a needle bed IT.

The fiat-knitting machine shown and described operates as follows:

On moving the conventional machine carriage (not shown), the two plates 1 and 8 of the double cam boxes are correspondingly displaced. When the said carriage is moved in direction of the arrow F in Figs. 3 to 5, that is, from left to right, plain loops are knitted by means of the threads guided by the thread carriers I-4 and of cam boxes 8, 8" by selected needles and one and the same cam box at different predetermined knitting zone without thereby causing the thread carriers to slide past each other.

After the 2:2 border has been produced on the knitted workpiece shown in Fig. 1 by means of the needles I! and I8 of the two needle beds I1 and I8, the loops are transferred in the usual manner from the needles I! to the oppositely lying needles I8. Thereupon the latter are used to knit the plain looped fabric of zone A and the one-faced figured fabric B so that the three areas C, D, E are produced as described herewith.

For such purpose, the thread carrier I is taken along by the driver 9 (Figs. 3 to 9) through its box I, which driver is situated on the preceding cam box of the forward plate I. Fig. 6 shows the driver 9 coupled to the thread-carrier box I which (as the remaining thread-carrier boxes) is recessed for engaging the driver. The right cam box 8 of the rearward plate 8 causes the needles selected in the range of the central pattern plot D from needle-row I8 (by known jacquard means not shown) to move for the purpose of picking up the thread and forming plain loops. In Fig. 3, a dotted cross on the bar I9 of thread-carrier box I' and on the center line of driver 9' in the pattern plot C indicates that driver 9' is coupled to thread-carrier box I. The needles I8, however, are not operative and no loops are formed. 1

In like manner, in Fig. 4, a full-line cross in the pattern plot D marks the state of coupling between 9 and I, since the knitting is done in the centralpattern plot D. For such purpose the needles I8 have been selected in the range of said plot through the said jacquard means, and loops are formed with the right cam box 8 of the rearward plate 8, while, in Fig. 5, in the pattern plot E the needles I8 again are inoperative, for which reason the said state of coupling in said plot E is indicated by a dotted cross. Crosses shown in full lines therefore indicate that the threads moving in the respective thread carriers are being worked into loops, while the dotted crosses indicate that no loops are formed, that is that no knitting is done.

When the thread carrier I has passed beyond the sample plot E and arrives in the position shown by dash-and-dot lines in Fig. 5, it hasperformed a full stroke. -Due to the co-operation of driver 9 with the respective narrowing shoe 5, the said driver is disengaged from the thread carrier box I so that the latter stands still.

In the course of said carriage displacement, thread carrier 3 first is run through the auxiliary driver I3 some distance beyond the central pattern plot D in the sense of the illustration in Fig. 6. When the driver II] through its wide key end mounts the respective stop 6, the thread carrier box 3' is disengaged from the auxiliary driver I3, as shown in Fig. 7, and the driver III is axially displaced in its casing, simultaneously with the respective auxiliary driver I3 through bar I5. When the carriage moves further, the driver III runs off the stop 6 and is engaged'to the thread carrier box 3, as shown in Fig. 8, so that the thread carrier 3 moves further with the carriage until it reaches the position shown by dots-and-dashes in Fig. 5, thus having performed a full stroke. When the driver III mounts the respective narrowing shoe 5, it is disengaged from box 3, and the thread carrier 3 is arrested. During such wandering of the thread carrier 3, knitting is done in plot E by means of the thread guided thereby and through the left cam box- 8" of rear plate 8.

During said travel of the carriage, the thread carrier 2 is advanced through the driver I2 provided on the left cam box 8" of rearward plate 8, by means of its box 2 and displaced up to a point slightly beyond the pattern plot C. Knitting then is done in the range of plot C by means of the thread passing through thread carrier 2. When the driver I2 mounts the narrowing shoe 5, the thread carrier 2 is arrested in the position shown in Fig. 4 by dots and dashes. Since the driver I2 mounts the stop 6 adjacent the said narrowing shoe through its wide key end, the thread carrier 4', which up to now has been taken along by the auxiliary driver I4 is disengaged from driver I4, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 for driver I0 and auxiliary driver I3. The driver I2 thus is axially displaced, as is the auxiliary driver I through bar I6. During further travel of the carriage, the driver I2 moves away from stop 6 and is engaged to the thread carrier box 4, as shown in Fig. 8 for driver Ill. The thread carrier 4 is run through the driver I2 slightly beyond the central pattern plot D into the position shown in Fig. 5 by dots, whereby knitting is done according to the pattern, by means of the thread through the left cam box 8 of the rearward plate 8, in the range of pattern plot D. When the driver I2 mounts the appurtenant narrowing shoe 5, it is disengaged from box 4' of thread carrier 4 and the latter, therefore, arrested.

After the double cam boxes of the plates I and 8 have arrived at the right-hand end of the machine or respectively, of the two rows of needles I1 and I8, a full row of loops has been knitted in the three pattern plots C, D and E on the ware to be manufactured. The thread carriers I- l then are in the position indicated by dot-anddash lines in Figs. 4 and 5. And so, during the movement of the carriage from left to right, at the passage over from pattern plot C to pattern plot D, the thread of the feeder I" with the preceding cam box 8 works into meshes in pattern plot D and the thread of feeder 2" with the following cam box 8 works into meshes in pattern plot C. Further, the following cam box 8" knits the thread of feeder 4" on the inside of pattern plot D. At the passage over from the pattern plot D to pattern plot E the thread of feeder I" with the preceding cam box 3' is knitted into meshes in pattern plot D, and the thread of feeder 3" with the following cam box 8" is knitted into meshes in pattern plot E.

When the carriage subsequently moves in a direction opposite to that described, i. e. in Figs. 3-5 from right to left, plain loops are knitted again by means of the thread carriers I- I.

During such return of the carriage, the thread carriers 3 and 4 are taken along by the drivers In and I2 through their boxes 3' and l, which drivers are disposed on the left cam boxes of the plates 1 and 8. Knitting then is done by means of the threads guided through the thread carriers 3 and 4 through the agency of the left cam box 8" of the rearward plate 8 in the plots E and D respectively, until the drivers It and I2 are disengaged from the thread carriers 3 and 4 through the respective stops 6. The thread carriers 3 and 4 subsequently are moved to their initial position at the left-hand end of the machine or of the two needle rows I! and I 8 through the associate auxiliary drivers I3 and M, while no knitting is done. The auxiliary drivers I3 and I4 are coupled to the thread-carrier boxes 3" and 4' in a manner similar to that explained in connection with the forward run of the carriage. During the backward run of the carriage, the thread carriers I and 2 are returned in conventional manner to their initial position through the drivers 9 and I2. Knitting then takes place in plot C by means of the thread of thread guide 2 through the agency of the left cam box 8" of plate 8, and by means of the thread of thread carrier I knitting is done according to pattern in the field D through the agency of the right cam box 8' of plate 8.

From the above description it follows that certain drivers, to which an auxiliary driver is coupled through a bar, are disengaged from their normal thread carriers either through stops 6 or through narrowing shoes 5, while other drivers are separated from their thread carriers only through the narrowing shoes 5. It thus is possible, when using at least two normal thread carriers disposed on one and the same guide rod, 7

to set the thread carriers successively in operation with one and the same cam box, during a stroke of the carriage, at different predetermined working stations.

Furthermore there exists the possibility of knitting the pattern plots C or E as several color motive (jacquard pattern) instead of the pattern plot D.

When rigidly interconnecting at leasttwo spaced thread carriers, the thread-carrier change thus may be brought about simultaneously on at least two knitting stations by means of a single stop, whereby the number of pattern plots may be correspondingly increased without lowering the output of the machine.

Briefly summarized, it is to be noted that the method and apparatus of this application has the following features:

It permits the knitting of one-faced looped fabrics having various fancy pattern areas, an entire row of loops being knitted during one stroke of the slide, that is, by suitably moving thread carriers the threads of which are individually and separately worked up into loops one after the other at predetermined knitting zone without causing the thread carriers to slide against and past each other.

A flat knitting machine is provided for carrying out this method wherein, in order to control the movement of the thread carriers on their way to and at the knitting zone, as well as back to the starting point, and during one stroke of the slide, narrowing shoes and guides are provided that cooperate with drivers and auxiliary drivers on the guide bars.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A flat knitting machine comprising a plurality of thread carriers, cam plates, drivers on said cam plates for moving said thread carriers at the knitting zones ,auxiliary drivers provided for moving the thread carriers into the knitting zones as well as back into the starting positions, said auxiliary drivers cooperating with the aforesaid drivers.

2. A flat knitting machine according to claim 1 and in which the auxiliary drivers used for moving the thread carriers, a definite distance and the drivers are adapted to be connected.

3. A flat knitting machine according to claim 1 and in which guide rods are provided for the thread carriers, at least two thread carriers being guided on one and the same guide rod and in Which the drivers as well as the auxiliary drivers are disposed on the cam plates, the drivers and the auxiliary drivers being constructed so as to be connected.

4. A flat knitting machine according to claim 1, and in which guide rods are provided, at least two thread carriers being provided on one and the same of said guide rods and in which the primary drivers as well as the auxiliary drivers are disposed on the cam plates, the drivers and auxiliary drivers being constructed for being connected, narrowing shoes and stops being provided for the carriers on the guide rods for con trolling the movement of the thread carriers during one slide stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,228,483 Schwartz June 5, 191'? 1,601,545 Werfelman et al. Sept. 23, 1926 1,877,282 Werfelman Sept. 13, 1932 1,990,440 Steinhart Feb. 5, 1935 2,286,227 Ralston June 16, 1942 

